He’s a big boy who can be a bit cantankerous
- Trainer Paul Maher
Injured apprentice jockey Shiralee Maher felt that three-year-old gelding Laughing Heir owed her a win at Mowbray on Sunday.
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Maher had been “dumped” by Laughing Heir during trackwork earlier in the season and her injuries kept her out of the saddle for seven weeks.
The gelding was at least partially forgiven after he made a successful debut in the Hall Of Fame Maiden.
Trained by Maher’s husband Paul, Laughing Heir narrowly beat another first-starter, Zero Point, to land a confident betting plunge.
“He’s a very nice horse – I’ve got a lot of time for him,” Paul Maher said after the race.
“I’m not sure how comfortable he was on the wet track but he got the job done.
“He’s big and raw and still a work in progress so I’m sure he’s going to improve with racing.”
Maher used ear muffs on the horse to try to calm him down.
“He’s a big boy who can be a bit cantankerous so I’ve got to try to rein him in a bit,” the trainer said.
Laughing Heir was ridden by Siggy Carr and it was her 44th win for the season.
Shiralee Maher is still sidelined by another injury sustained earlier this month in a trackwork accident.
She suffered a chipped bone in her cheek and bruised eye socket.